Memorial of the Apostle Andrew.

Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

If we die with him, we shall live with him,
if with him we endure, with him we shall reign.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Matthew 4,18-22

As he was walking by the Lake of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast into the lake with their net, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, 'Come after me and I will make you fishers of people.' And at once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there he saw another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they were in their boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. And at once, leaving the boat and their father, they followed him.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

If we die with him, we shall live with him,
if with him we endure, with him we shall reign.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Today the Church remembers the apostle Andrew, the first one to be called. This memorial reminds us that Christians are first and foremost disciples, that is, a man or woman who listens to the Lord and follows him. Andrew, the son of Jonah and brother of Simon Peter, was from Bethsaida and worked as a fisherman alongside his brother. He was called by Jesus while he was mending his nets, and he left them immediately and began to follow the Teacher. According to tradition, Andrew announced the Gospel in Syria, in Asia Minor, and in Greece. He died in Patras, crucified like his Teacher. Orthodoxy venerates him as the first bishop of the Church of Constantinople. Mark's Gospel counts him among the first four to be called by Jesus. All four, in effect, began to follow Jesus immediately after they met him. Here we have a clear and simple invitation from Jesus: "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." Andrew and Simon, called Peter, listen to this invitation, leave their nets, and follow him. Why did they follow him? It is difficult to explain God's future to those, like us, who are illiterate when it comes to his word and his love. For this type of fishing we have to leave our old boats and begin travelling, not on the water anymore, but on the land of men and women that is perhaps even more fluid and uncertain than the waters of the lake. It is no longer the watery sea, but the sea of men and women. Together with the other three, Andrew accepts Jesus' invitation. You are not the one who chooses; there is another who looks at you, loves you, and calls you. In truth, Jesus is the first "fisher for people," and he calls these poor fishermen. It is not for us to decide whether we are worthy or not, or if anyone else is. These kinds of judgments are tied to worldly logic. Following Jesus is not a choice for heroes or chosen spirits. The first four were simple fishermen; they listened to Jesus, trusted him, and followed him. This is the entire secret of faith and of the Church herself.